Silent Scope is a port. Nothing more, nothing less. What's more its not a very good one. Based on the arcade game of the same name, it throws you into the role of a sniper for hire. The President and his family have been kidnapped by a generic band of terrorists and it is up to rescue them. Ordinarily, Id jump at the opportunity to play the role of a sniper—many is the time I died in GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark while trying to score nothing but headshots on my targets—but Konamis release is so flawed that I couldn't even enjoy such a base indulgence.

What really kills me is that this game could have really opened up some new possibilities in narrative and action. Can you imagine if Silent Scope was based on a similar plot device like the Hitchcock classic "Rear Window?"

Whether it was intentional or not, Rumble Racing reminded me of a digital Matchbox racing game. The selection of cars seems to be pulled right out of a Matchbox toy set; each car looks like an over-sized version of the die-cast metal hotrods I collected as a kid. The stunts and over-the-top tracks all add to the extreme feel, making Rumble Racing a nice break from the likes of Driving Emotion Type-S or Gran Turismo 3: A-spec. Unfortunately, its flaws were too great to be hidden by any feelings of nostalgia I may have had.

Its pretty rare that a racing game comes out which is different enough to perk my interest. While Im not the worlds biggest racing fan, I do enjoy the scent of a freshly burned patch of rubber every now and then. Unfortunately, with the overabundance of driving games available on practically any system out there, the genre seems to have become quite over saturated from where Im standing.

Like Brad, I have issues with Sega Smash Pack Volume 1. There are some true standouts in Streets Of Rage 2, Shining Force, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Virtua Cop 2 (even without light-gun support); all are shining examples of the Sega at its best in the pre-PlayStation age. The rest, however, are either throwaways like Sega Swirl and Wrestle War or games that do not stand the test of time like Phantasy Star II and Altered Beast. This has always been a sore spot of mine with these compilation releases.

The Sega Smash Pack: Volume 1 is Segas version of the old-time compilation disc trend made popular recently by companies with a rich history of games—such as Namco, Konami and Midway. The disc includes no less than nine certified, triple-A, 16-bit classics out of the Genesis era as well as three other miscellaneous titles to add to the overall value of the purchase. The games listed on the back of the case are practically a "whos who" of the greatest cartridges available for Segas renowned machine.

m glad Brad brought 3DO's existence into question because it saved me from doing so. But with that said, there isn't much for me to add to his review. All I can do is wonder aloud whether this utterly forgettable game would have been released—or even made—had it not had the "Heroes Of Might & Magic" name attached to it? My answer would be no.

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